


Without a Word

by LyraTerravale



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Be gentle, Langst, M/M, Mind Meld, Slow Burn, Telepathy, eventual smooching, first long fic of mine, klance, some action violence, some alien drug thing kinda
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-13
Updated: 2017-10-22
Packaged: 2019-01-16 21:48:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12351219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LyraTerravale/pseuds/LyraTerravale
Summary: After suffering a serious injury in battle, Lance is rendered mute. He believes all hope is lost until he discovers a mental connection with a certain red paladin could be his conduit to still chit chat it up. Keith's not about to just let Lance in, right?





	1. I Talk Too Much

**Author's Note:**

> First long fic! pretty excited about it but i know it's rough. Critiques and criticisms needed and welcomed. my tumblr is @freeklancer if you wanna follow ;)

             Lance rolled out of the way just in time before a galra blast nearly took his leg with it. Lance positioned his Bayard and fired three consecutive shots, the last of which hit its mark, the head of a galra droid. Team Voltron was supposed to be on a peaceful mission on the planet Calum, but they had been greeted by an overwhelming attack in place of a coalition meeting.

            “Get to the lions!” Shiro’s voice rang clear through the intercom as the team continued their struggle.

            “Easy for you to say! You’re safe up in the castle!” Lance retorted, his voice cracking a bit at the end. Ever since Shiro’s return, he’s been off, and Lance has compensated by sassing both him and their “team leader” as much as possible, as was his personality.

            Lance nearly slammed his back into Hunk as he dodged another blast, he mumbled an apology before firing off another few shots in the general direction of the galra. He found his footing again and readied himself for a more accurate shot when suddenly a yelp threw his concentration.

            “Lance! Your six!” It was the ever petulant voice of their fearless leader, Keith. Lance only managed to turn around half way before an impossible strong force slammed into his throat. He saw a flash of galra purple then stars swirled his vision as he collapsed. His throat burned like it had just been sliced open, but no blood ran from the injury that Lance could tell. He heard shouting of his name, but his vision was already going black and his neck felt numb. Darkness soon encumbered Lance as the last thing he saw was a vaguely red figure rushing towards him.

            When Lance awoke, his first instinct was to let out a cough that was desperate to escape his lungs but as soon as he made the action to do so… no sound came out. It was the strangest thing, Lance had gone through all the right movements of a cough, expelled air and everything, but not a sound. He tried again to no avail. Starting to feel alarmed, Lance opened his mouth to call out for someone, anyone, but again only a soft squeak left his lungs. Lance attempted words next, even in a soft voice nothing intelligible escaped his lips.

            Starting to become increasing alarmed, Lance lifted his hand to his throat, which was throbbing, and winced at the immediate pain of contact. Something was definitely wrong. Lance took in his surroundings, the white and blue walls and alien mumbo-jumbo scattered across several tables. Small, white twin bed lined the walls as well, like in a hospital room back on earth. Med bay, Lance concluded with a frown as he took in the white bed he found himself sitting up in.

            “Oh good! You’re up!” The cheery, accented voice of Coran Coran the gorgeous man filled the otherwise quiet room. As he entered, the small hunched over form of Pidge followed at his heels, with a much more concerned look on her face.

            So what’s the news, doc? Lance attempted to say but all that came out was a painful gurgling sound. Lance winced as he remembered his predicament and reached to touch his throat again.

            “Ah ah! No touching. You have a very sensitive injury right now.” Coran proclaimed as he swatted away Lance’s hand. The blue paladin tried in vain to protest but just gurgled some more.

            “He’s worse than we thought, can’t even squawk out something lame.” Pidge murmured, her tone light but her words struck something with Lance. He knew he was injured, but how bad? When will he get better? If ever??? Questions swirled in his head but he knew now none of them could be vocalized. Scrambling, Lance made frantic motions to his throat, trying to get the two to tell him what was wrong with it.

            “Hmm? Does it hurt now, my boy,” Coran asked, tilting his head to the side to get a better look at the injury as he twirled his orange mustache. “You took a pretty heavy blow, according to Keith that is.” That’s right, Keith. Keith had seen what happened, if anyone could tell him what was going on it was going to be Keith, since these two seemed to be no help. Lance suddenly scrambled to his feet, waved a swift goodbye and took off towards the training deck, where Keith would most certainly be. He heard shouts of protest from behind him but it didn’t slow him down.

            Lance burst into the training room to see, as expected, Keith going at it with a training bot at maximum level. Keith had a thin sheen of sweat covering his face and his black t-shirt clung to his frame in, if Lance was being honest, a very appealing way. But there were more important things at hand, Lance rushed over and began making vigorous and slightly angry motions towards his throat, all the while gurgling like no one’s business hoping his voice would return. Keith backed up looking mildly alarmed.

            “Training session over,” the bot silently shut down and sunk into the floor. “Lance, what the hell?” Keith frowned as he continued panting from exertion. Lance made another motion to his throat then shrugged. “Ah, you wanna know what happened, yeah?” Understanding crept across Keith’s face as Lance nodded vigorously at that, an unapologetically wide smile settling in. “Well, uh,” Keith began. “You got hit pretty hard by a galra general who had a glowey arm like Shiro’s. It, uh, messed your vocal chords up pretty bad I’ve heard”. Lance nodded in understanding but his heart was dropping in his chest. He turned to glance at a shiny training wall and saw what looked alarmingly like a large purple gash in his throat. That definitely wasn’t good. Why wasn’t it fixed yet? Was this his life now? Someone scientific needed to look at him right now. As if on cue, Coran and Pidge burst into the training room.

            “See number 5? I told you he would be in here.” Coran announced proudly as Pidge proceeded to rule her eyes. Coran approached Keith and Lance and made a motion towards Lance’s body. “Well we’ve run our tests and got our results, could’ve told them to Lance here if he hadn’t run out so suddenly, but we do have news.” As if speaking for him, Keith took a step towards Coran and urgently spoke.

            “What are the results? I’m enjoying the peace and quiet but it might be a problem for the team in the long run.” Keith smirked playfully at that last part, sending Lance into autopilot as a probably too fond look crossed his face. He only let it for a tick before he forced annoyance and crossed his arms begrudgingly.

            “Well…” Pidge began, adjusting her glasses. “We already tried the healing pod, and because the injury seems to be inflicted somehow by galra tech, the pod failed to do anything but clear up some bruising.” Lance felt his shoulders hang a bit. So, they had tried the pod, and yet Lance still couldn’t talk. “It’s not all bad news though,” Pidge continued a smirk replacing her thoughtful look. “We believe that the injury will eventually wear off, as galra tech doesn’t seem to last permanently, in the case of Shiro’s side wound. So, savor the silence while you can, Keith.” Lance playfully punched her arm at that while she cackled. Well that’s good at least, Lance thought. His voice would come back in time. Coran nodded in agreement with Pidge’s words and continued to twirl his mustache.

            “The others have already been informed, all that’s left now is to continue on with your life until it sorts itself out.” Coran added helpfully. Lance nodded and suddenly felt the urge to be alone at that moment. Keith was talking with the other two but Lance wasn’t paying enough attention to care. Carefully he walked out of the training room and returned to his own bedroom. Then Lance did what he always did when he felt mildly upset, he slept it off.

                       

            Lance awoke to banging on his door, loud and urgent. He made an attempt to squawk out a “What?” but of course nothing understandable came out. The door slid open to reveal Hunk standing at his door way.

            “We located what appears to be a dormant galra ship in a debris field nearby, we’re going on an all-hands-on-deck mission, you up for it?” Hunk leaned into the doorframe as he spoke. Lance stretched and nodded, feeling a little disheveled, but otherwise okay.

            Before he knew it, Lance had slid down the shaft to red’s cockpit and was on his way out of the castle in the large lion. He heard Keith pattering on about mission details but Lance was barely paying mind, he was way too frustrated with the fact that he couldn’t let out a single, witty comment while the team flew towards their destination.

            “You know it’s pretty quiet with Lance MIA, I’m enjoying it.” Pidge laughed into the com, the others joining her. Lance scowled down at the controls of his lion, sure sure it was all fun and games when _they_ weren’t the ones who had practically gone mute. The worst part of it all was that Lance couldn’t even retort, couldn’t mutter a single word of protest.

            They arrived on site not long after, and much to Hunk’s description, it was, in fact, a debris field. Large, broken parts of galra and non-galra ships alike floating in the gravity-less space. Red could just barely bob and weave his way through it all, Lance couldn’t imagine how Hunk or Keith must be doing with their large, bulky lions.

            “The intact ship is at these coordinates, sending now.” Shiro’s voice crackled over the com as Lance received the signal. He was way out on the edge of the field, having separated himself from the others to explore, and the location was farther from him than expected. Lance sighed soundlessly and began the trajectory. He had barely begun his venture into the field when something caught his eye. Something purple and black, with a red blinking light, attached to a random piece of debris nearby. Lance frowned and approached it cautiously. He examined it a moment, before he noticed that the intervals between blinks of the light were decreasing, going faster and faster. Lance’s immediate thought was _oh fuck it’s a bomb isn’t it_ before blasting it with a fiery shot from red.

            When the dust cleared the light was still blinking fervently and Lance began to panic. Who knew how large the radius of the blast could be, what if it hit the other paladins? Quickly, Lance scanned the area in search of someone to get their attention. He was completely alone. The debris limited his vision and he was afraid if he went looking too far away from the assumed bomb then he’d lose track of it. Panicking still, Lance tried yelling into his com, but only muffled sounds escaped him.

            “Is Lance trying to say something through the com?” Keith muttered through the line, sounding annoyed.

            “Who knows, we still got work to finish up here, he’ll join us soon probably.” Pidge responded flatly. Lance’s heart began to race. No no no no no. This was bad, so very bad. Just as Lance was about to charge off in hopes of at least trying to convince them to leave wordlessly, he heard something. Or more felt something. A pull from his lion to get his attention. _What is it red?_ Lance thought at the lion. It responded by sending a flash of an image of Keith.

            _Yeah buddy, I know Keith’s in danger, I’m trying._ Lance tried to reason with no avail. Suddenly another image struck him, of Keith in the red lion’s cockpit, his eyes closed and his hands clenching the controls. A feeling accompanied this image, one of assurance and comradery. Communication even. Oh, that’s right, Lance realized, they had magical telepathic lions, who could communicate with their paladins. Maybe, the paladins could do something similar with each other.

            Lance focused as hard as he could, trying to block out his sense of urgency in favor of focus. He pictured Keith and all his glory and imagined his words reaching the red paladin. _Come on Keith you dumb, mullet-head. Realize there’s something wrong_

***

            Keith was already feeling uneasy, and Lance’s complete disappearance wasn’t helping. He was currently standing watch in his lions while the three other paladins were investigating the wreckage. The abandoned galra ship loomed ominously in front of him, and Keith felt another shiver run down his spine. Something definitely was going on and Keith was just about ready to call it quits on the mission if Lance didn’t get there soon.

            Out of nowhere a splitting headache hit Keith. He buckled over and grabbed at his hair in an effort to relieve the pain. He muffled a strangled cry, which he was thankful the coms didn’t pick up. Then a prodding sensation at the back of his head, like a small itch he couldn’t scratch. Something inviting him to look closer. Black purred encouragingly, probably reading Keith’s mind. With a shaky inhale, Keith slowly closed his eyes and let the feeling in the back of his head wash over him. It was a comforting feeling, full of warmth and happiness and a twinge of something odd. Keith’s vision flashed a shade of blue that somehow reminded him of all the shades of the sky on earth at once. Before Keith could investigate this feeling further, an unfamiliar voice drifted into his mind.

 _…there’s something wrong._ Like a TV had just been switched on, the voice suddenly cut in. Unfamiliar only because it was in Keith’s head, but Keith recognized it well.

            “Lance!?” Keith yelped aloud. His whole body jolting in surprise.

            “What? Did he just now get here?” Shiro responded on the com. Keith shook his head and pressed a hand to his forehead. He must be going crazy he decided.

             “No, it’s nothing, sorry.” Keith muttered back, rubbing at his temples.

 _Wait, you can seriously hear me mullet?_ Keith jumped again at the sound of the voice echoing in his brain. What the hell was going on.

 _Yes?_ Keith tried in response, imagining that his voice was being carried down this invisible channel and reaching the source of the voice.

_Holy quiznak, dude it worked! Okay Okay Lance, focus. Tell him about the bomb. Keith, there’s a slight-_

_BOMB!?_ Keith interrupted the voice with what must have been the equivalent of a shout because he could actually _feel_ Lance wince in pain at the sound. That was something he’d have to check up on later.

 _Wait you heard that first part? But that was supposed to be to myself…_ Lance sounded like he was deep in thought which meant he had gotten distracted again.

 _Lance, focus, what bomb?_ Keith tried desperately until felt Lance’s attention return to him. Yup, definitely an… odd feeling.

 _There’s this bomb-looking thing out here, you gotta get everyone out._ Lance responded urgently. Keith didn’t hesitate, he quickly ordered an immediate evacuation through the coms until every lion was quickly making their way out of the field. Lance could have been joking of course if Keith had _heard_ the words leave his lips. But he hadn’t. Keith had felt the honesty and urgency in Lance’s words and didn’t need a confirmation.

Once the group was safely on route back to the castle of lions, Keith was given a choice. The others were asking what had happened and although he favored honesty, something was keeping him from telling the whole truth.

“Lance showed me to a bomb in the debris field, it was too dangerous to stay back there, we could have been-” Keith couldn’t finish his though as a sudden explosion from behind rocked their ships. The bomb had gone off. Lance had been 100% right. Keith suddenly felt a smug pull at his brain and he realized that a certain someone was still connected to him.

 _Okay, get out of my head now, Lance._ Keith sighed as he sent the message, it was regarded with confusion. Okay now he really was getting annoyed with this mental link.

 _Keith, my buddy, my pal, don’t you think I’ve tried? I can’t stop feeling all your stupid emotions._ Alarm flared into Keith’s consciousness, shit could Lance hear everything? This was bad so bad. Keith could manage as long as he didn’t think about his crush on- nope shutting that down right now. Keith’s thoughts were a mess but he could hardly care.

 _Dude, your thoughts are so jumbled right now calm down, we’ll figure this out._ How was Lance not panicking about this? Did the guy not have any secrets he wanted kept close? Keith let out a shaky breath and nodded to himself. This was fine, he could keep level-headed, he could block the younger paladin out.

 _I thought you’d be better at this to be honest, Mr. cool, lone wolf._ Lance’s teasing tone came out loud and clear and it made Keith scowl.

 _Oh, shut up, Lance_ This situation was definitely not okay.

 

           

           


	2. Oh, Why You Gotta Be So Talkative?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adjusting to their new link, Keith and Lance struggle to find a way to make it work. Maybe sharing will benefit their situation?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow 100 kudos in a day! that's crazy!! Thank you so much for the support and for getting to the next chapter, it means a lot. Don't be afraid to comment and critique! btw the song I reference for chapter titles is Talk Too Much by COIN  
> (Find me at my tumblr for updates) @freeklancer

            With the mission done and over, and it being pretty much a failure, Keith thought he could finally get some rest. Although, training was his typical outlet, Keith found himself wanted nothing more than to sleep off both his literal headache, and the pain that was Lance’s presence in his mind.

            _Can you tell Hunk for me that the food goo was cold last night? And that we should check it out?_ Speak of the devil, Keith thought to himself as he sat up in bed with a groan.

            _No Lance, go to sleep, it’s 2 in the morning._ Keith put as much salt as he possibly could into his words, hoping they would shut the blue paladin up.

            _Technically it’s not, since we’re in space._ Keith scrunched up his brow and focused hard on pushing the weighted feeling out of his skull.

            _Go away go away go away!_ Keith practically begged as he pushed harder against the force to no avail, it was still there.

            _Fine, jeez. See you in the morning Mr. Grumpy Pants._ The pestering ache drifted off after that, and Keith was left alone with just his own thoughts. It made him come to a realization: Lance apparently had the ability to leave and join the link as he pleased, and that pissed Keith off. If he had a say in it, Lance wouldn’t be poking around in his head for sure. But he didn’t have a say, so Keith decided to enjoy the silence while he could and get some sleep.

                                                                        ***

            Lance awoke with a gasping cry, a sound remarkably similar to a dying cat. He winced at the immediate pain of it, and gently laid his fingers on his neck. Yup, still a wreck. Lance tried to test his voice in the silence of this room, nothing but gurgling and a slight squeak from somewhere in the back of his throat, but no successful words. Lance let out a painful sigh and hoisted himself from his bed. He threw on his clothes with little interest, and headed out of his room. Lazily he began to make his way through the castle.

            When Lance entered the kitchen area, Hunk grinned at him from the counter where he was busy preparing something Lance didn’t recognize.

            “Lance! Glad to see you up. I’m making some breakfast from some ingredients Coran scrounged up for me. We’re having a group breakfast!” Lance waved a somewhat lackluster greeting back, as he couldn’t respond with anything he actually wanted to, and peeked around the corner to look into the main dining room. Pidge, Shiro, Coran, and Allura were already sitting around the table, chatting idly. “Go ahead and go sit down! It’ll be down shortly, my man.” Hunk called from behind Lance. Lance nodded, mostly to himself, before walking out and sliding into a seat adjacent to Allura at the table.

“How are you feeling Lance?” Allura asked as the paladin sat down.  Lance couldn’t help but stare for a moment. The princess really was beautiful, although Lance had decided a while back not to pursue her anymore, he still admired her. He could only shrug in response to her question, and she nodded understandingly.

            _So that’s what being attracted to a girl is like, weird._ Keith’s dry tone suddenly filled Lance’s head and startled him in his seat.

            _Those were private thoughts, mullet!_ Lance practically yelled back, feeling heat creep up to his face.

            _Not like that ever stopped you, ass_ Keith retorted, flatly.

            _What do you care anyway, jealous much?_ Lance had meant it as a light jab, just to throw Keith off his game a little, but the line went completely silent. Then, a strange, red hot, feeling was directed to his brain that sent Lance spiraling. _Damn,_ Lance thought, _Keith must really be pissed._ Still, there was no response so Lance couldn’t confirm Keith’s feelings on the matter. Before Lance could put much more thought into it, Hunk came out holding several plates of food, and placed them on the table.

            “Look’s great, Hunk.” Shiro exclaimed with admiration, and Hunk beamed at that. Lance glanced at the food, then the empty seat beside him _._ With a sigh, he reached out with his mind to the presence he knew was either in his room, or the on the training deck. In this case it was the latter.

            _Yo, samurai, I know you’re busy swinging your sword around but the we’re eating a team breakfast, get out here._ Lance smirked to himself as he sent the message, and then felt another flash of red hot in response. Lance had fully intended his slightly phallic call out, and hoped it was enough to get Keith’s ass in there.

            “Oh shoot, I should probably go grab Keith, since he doesn’t usually come to breakfast.” Hunk said with a sigh moments later, as he made his way to the dining room door frame. As if on cue, the door slid open revealing a very sweaty, very angry looking Keith. After shooting a glare at Lance, he marched his way over to the farthest from everyone seat possible, and slouched down. “Ah… okay…” Hunk murmured, looking genuinely confused as he made his own way back to his seat. “Let’s eat!” Hunk then proclaimed with a grin.

            The breakfast was going pretty smoothly on the outside, people talking to each other in a friendly matter, everyone except Lance and Keith that is. Lance wanted nothing more than to join in, several times a witty one-liner or joke would come to his head at the perfect time and all he could do was gasp awkwardly until someone asked him if he was okay. Eventually Lance just gave up even trying, and sat quietly, keeping to himself.

            Keith was also quiet, and Lance felt slight anger towards him. The dude could talk at least, he was just choosing not to. It was infuriating. Lance decided he would satiate that anger with food, and glanced across the table to where Shiro was sitting, where a bowl of what resembled cheeseballs, stationed itself. Could you pass that orange thing? Lance attempted to ask but, like he’d forgotten, nothing intelligible came out. Shiro looked at him strangely and frowned.

            “Lance? What is it?” Shiro asked, as genuinely as possible. Lance’s frustration grew, it wasn’t anybody’s fault exactly, but not being able to say anything was starting to get to him.

            “Is little Timmy stuck in the well?” Pidge murmured under her breath with a smirk. Lance shot her a glare before giving in and leaning back in his chair with a sigh. He’d just go hungry then, it’s fine, he thought to himself.

            “For the love of god, Lance just wants the orange ball things to be passed to him.” Keith piped in, the first thing he’d actually said since he entered. Lance stared at him in a dull shock. He was sure he hadn’t projected anything to Keith, was Keith still in his head anyway? The others were giving Keith similar bewildered looks before Keith got up, moved next to Shiro, pushed the bowl towards Lance, and walked out of the room with a moody sigh.

            “What is the matter with him?” Coran asked, curiously. No one knew how to respond. Lance felt a strange twisting in his chest. Keith seemed to be more upset about this than Lance had thought. Maybe he should go ‘talk’ to him. Lance waved a goodbye, and began looking for Keith.

            Lance found him surprisingly easily for where he had been hiding out. Keith was sulking on the main deck, looking out the large window at the stars. It had been like a pull to that place when he went looking for Keith, like a sound that got louder the closer you got, a strange feeling that made his chest feel tight and his head hurt as he got closer to the main deck. Coincidentally, there Keith sat. Lance walked over quietly and sat next to him.

            _Hey man, can we talk?_ Lance prodded gently, hoping it didn’t come out too forcefully as he initiated the link.

            “There’s nothing we can _talk_ about.” Keith responded aloud, and Lance couldn’t tell if he was trying to joke around or insult him. Typical Keith.

            _Why are you responded out loud? You look like a crazy person._ Lance tried teasing a bit, just lightening the mood. Keith was unimpressed however, and glared at the ground.

            “Because I don’t like this Lance, I don’t like you in my head as any sane person wouldn’t.” Keith didn’t look at him, but Lance felt slightly hurt. He knew he could be obnoxious sometimes but so much so that someone he thought of as a friend didn’t want to talk to him like this? It felt harsh.

            _That’s probably my fault, I’ve only used this link for bad stuff so far. What if I sent something good?_ Lance asked gently, staring out at the stars in front of them. The large, glass window just barely let Lance see Keith’s expression, it was contemplative.

            “Okay but I swear to god if it’s something gross I’m never talking to you again.” Keith muttered, giving Lance a cautious look. Lance tried to laugh, a dry choking sound coming out instead making Keith’s face twist to one of sympathy.

            _Cool Cool, but you gotta open up a little, okay buddy?_ Lance asked as sweetly as he thought possible. Keith rolled his eyes, before his eyelids slid shut over them. He let out a hefty sigh, and let his shoulders sink into a more relaxed position. To Lance, it was like someone had just opened the flood gates. Sure, he got flashes of Keith’s emotions here and there, but now it was like an onslaught of feelings of calm, concern, anger, and tons of others all flowing from the older boy at once. It was slightly overwhelming, but Lance pushed through.

            Then Lance sent an image. Or maybe it was enough swirling emotions packaged together that they formed an image. An image of crystal clear and cool waters, of a white, sandy beach, littered with seashells and drift wood. He sent the feeling of warm sand seeping between his toes, and the sun basking across his face. He sent the smell of sea salt, mixed with light traces of garlic knots being prepared elsewhere. The taste of which, almost tingled on Lance’s tongue as he thought of it. He projected all this to the boy sitting next to him. Keith jolted slightly and opened his eyes. The thought mirrored back to Lance, and he could feel Keith’s residual shock and curiosity over the scene.

            _So? What do you think of Varadero beach?_ Lance asked, feeling a little sheepish now that he had shared something so close to his own heart. Keith glanced at him, a mix of emotions across his face. Lance couldn’t decipher them or the thoughts that were lingering through Keith’s head.

            “Lance, I-” Keith began cautiously, but was interrupted by an unwelcomed third party.

            “So, either Keith is losing his mind, or you two can talk psychically.” The gruff, straight-forward voice of Pidge filled the room, making both Lance and Keith jump. Pidge marched herself over and leaned her back against the window the two had previously been looking out of. A smug look crossed her face.

            “Well since dweebus over there is giving me the silent treatment,” Pidge grinned like an annoying, younger sibling at Lance. “Keith? You wanna tell me what’s going on with you two?” Lance honestly appreciate her light-heartedness. He was sick of sympathetic glances and questions about his health that he couldn’t answer, joking about it was kinda nice. Keith slid his eyes over to Lance, as if asking for approval. Lance shrugged at him, and Keith let out a defeated sigh.

            “We don’t know exactly what happened, but somehow, yesterday when we were in the debris field, Lance managed to contact me, like, through our heads. And now we can talk to each other in our minds.” Keith explained as best as his and Lance’s understanding had managed. Lance nodded along as he talked, unable to comment.

            “That’s incredible,” Pidge murmured, looking deep in thought. “Though implausible. I doubt you two are able to connect directly, us being humans and everything. Well,” she glanced at Keith. “Mostly human anyway, enough so that telepathic abilities don’t seem possible.”

            _So, what, she doesn’t believe us or something?_ Lance asked Keith while turning to blink at him. Keith looked back, and shrugged. Then Keith turned his attention back to Pidge.

            “What is it then? I know for a fact it’s possible because Lance is in my head right now.” Keith pointed out dryly.

            “You would need a telepathic conduit that you’re both connected to.” Pidge snapped her fingers as her eyes lit up. “The Red Lion! Of course. You both have a connection with the same giant, sentient, robot lion. It only makes sense. I bet Keith and Shiro could have one two if they tried.” Pidge concluded. She might as well have been scribbling down notes as she talked, she looked totally in her element.

            _If it was with Shiro I wouldn’t mind so much._ The unfamiliar thought drifted into Lance’s head with the sound of Keith’s voice. Lance’s attention jumped to the red paladin immediately, a mix of confusion and hurt filling Lance’s mind. Keith looked at Lance, realization crossing his face, clearly indicating that, that was not supposed to be a shared thought. It made sense though. Of course, Keith would rather have a mental link with his brother figure, they probably have told each other everything already, nothing to hide. It didn’t make Lance’s heart hurt any less.

            “Um, guys? Are you listening? There’s so much experimenting we can do with this. Like will the link still work if one of you is in a worm hole? Can you hold multiple links at once? So much!” Pidge talked excitedly, seemingly not noticing the tension that had been created between the two other paladins. Lance stood up.

            _Tell Pidge goodbye for me._ He sent to Keith, probably a little more bluntly then he had intended. Keith furrowed his brow at this, and didn’t respond. Lance began exiting the room, but not before hearing Keith speak one last time.

            “Lance says goodbye, oh, and please don’t tell anyone yet Pidge, it’s still too new for that.” Keith spoke loud enough for Lance to hear, but his voice was still soft, tired. With that, Lance headed back to his room, closing Keith out as much as he could while on his way there. He expected to not hear from Keith for a while.

 

            Lance spent the day mostly moseying around his room, occasionally listening to Hunk talk when he stopped by to check in. It was nice really, that he cared that was. It wasn’t so nice that Lance could never answer, it was exhausting, actually. By the time night rolled in, Lance realized he had already spent the whole equivalent of a day in his room, what a loser, Lance decided. He’d have to make a bright and cheery appearance tomorrow, maybe through a few hilarious, gut-busting lines or… or say nothing. Because he couldn’t talk anymore. Right. Lance turned over in his bed and buried his face into his pillow. This stupid thing just needed to get fixed already and then maybe Keith wouldn’t hate him as much anymore.

            Wait, why did Lance care? Not like they ever really got along all that well. At least before Lance could pretend that they did, now not so much. Self-doubt and worrying was just started to cloud Lance’s thoughts when a solitary tug began pulling in his brain. One that sent sparks of red to his vision for reasons he couldn’t explain, must be a telepathy thing he thought. Probably too eagerly, Lance connected to the tug, allowing the steady feed of feelings in. Keith seemed currently apprehensive, and nervous for some reason. Lance frowned.

            _What’s up Keith?_ He tried to sound casual and not allow his heart rate to be known.

            _I’m sorry._ Keith said quietly, so Lance had to focus to even understand it.

            _Huh? What for?_ Lance asked, letting some of his confusion slip through the line for Keith to feel.

            _I’m sorry I said that I would rather have Shiro as a bond-partner-thing._ Keith tried to explain further. Lance smiled a bit. This boy was so awkward. Lance loved him---- it. Lance loved his awkwardness… not- _Lance are you okay? Your thoughts are going crazy right now, can you even hear me?_ Keith tried again and this time Lance answered swiftly.

            _If I could hear you that would be weird. I can feel your psychic presence though. _Lance responded, hoping his light-hearted tone came across okay. Hearing someone laugh psychically is weird. It’s like feeling warmth and little fireworks in your head yet you know it’s supposed to be laughing. It felt nice.

            _Anyway, so do you accept my apology? It’s been bugging me._ Lance was surprised by Keith’s honesty, and decided that he could’ve done a lot worse apology-wise.

            _Yeah man, it’s fine. See you tomorrow._ Lance responded as he settled himself back into bed.

            _Goodnight, Lance._ Keith responded in such an oddly fond and soft voice that Lance couldn’t help but smile a little bit. Yeah, they were at each other’s throats most of the time, but every now and then, Keith would get a little less annoying and Lance felt comfortable around him. Maybe this mental link wasn’t going to be that bad.


	3. Why Can't I Leave It Unsaid?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Lance continue to adjust to their bond, but what will the others think?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 200 Kudos!!! That's incredible! I am so unbelievably happy with the response this has gotten, so thank you all for that. Sorry for the shorter chapter, ran out of time to write this week. Thank You!

         “Therefore, we’ll need to be extra careful to keep close communications on this planet, to avoid separation.” Keith realized he wasn’t paying attention too late, and only caught the last few seconds of Shiro’s speech. Could you blame him? Lance’s mind was going a mile a minute only a few feet away. Keith couldn’t quite decipher the mess, but if he had to guess, Lance must be excited about the upcoming mission. _Could you maybe shut up for two seconds so I can pay attention?_ Keith aggressively sent his message to the Cuban boy who was tapping his foot nearby.

_Can’t focus. Gotta pee._ Lance responded nonchalantly as he continued to stare straight forward at where Shiro was continuing going over the plan to the team.

_Then go do that???_ Keith prompted incredulously, this boy was something else. Lance shot him a glare and Keith met his gaze. The younger’s irritation was prevalent and if Keith was being honest he had no idea why, if you have to go then just go for quiznak’s sake.

“Keith? Lance? Are you two listening? This is very important.” Shiro frowned at the two paladins as his gaze rotated from one to the other. Lance opened his mouth to respond, but quickly decided against it and shook his head. Keith could feel the frustration over not being able to speak wafting off of Lance.

“Lance has to go for a second.” Keith blurted out without thinking. The only thought that did cross his head was that Lance couldn’t speak for himself, so Keith had to. He could see Pidge giving him a knowing smirk from the corner of his eye. Shiro raised his eyebrows and looked at Lance.

“Okay… Just hurry back I guess.” Shiro complied, looking more confused than anything else. Lance nodded appreciatively to the black paladin, and quickly walked out of the central room. Keith could actually feel the distance growing between them and the connection fading and becoming slightly weaker. Shiro continued with his speech, but Keith found himself distracted again. Was Lance taking longer than he should? The connection felt wobbly and Lance wasn’t sending any thoughts. It was weird how worried he was, Keith thought to himself, it was getting ridiculous.

Suddenly, a flash of blood red and pain filled Keith’s head. It was from Lance, he was hurt. The ebbing pain was almost as excruciating as if he had been hurt himself. Keith quickly pulled out his bayard and ran towards the door. The other paladins cried out in confusion behind him, but Keith didn’t have time to explain. “Lance’s in trouble!” Keith yelled behind him as he bolted down the hall. He could hear the thundering footsteps of his friends running after him, but Keith had more pressing matters to attend to. He followed the connection, like an invisible trail that led to the source of the thoughts constantly pestering Keith’s mind. He raced down one hallway then another, sliding on his heels to make more quick and precise turns. Was there an attack? Had Lance suddenly fallen ill? The horror of what could be was too much for Keith to think about as he rounded the final corner to where the bond felt the strongest.

Lance was standing there, leaning slightly against the wall to support his weight, his foot being caressed carefully in his hands. His lips were turned down in a pout and his hair looked slightly disheveled. Lance looked up to where Keith was panting heavily, bayard at the ready, in front of him. Lance gave a sheepish, apologetic smile. _I stubbed my toe, sorry._

***

It was Keith’s fault really. The guy should’ve been able to tell the difference between being in danger and lightly knocking your foot on a hallway corner. Lance wasn’t at fault here, Lance thought to himself as he sat in the lounge room with the rest of the paladins. Yet, here Keith was, basically ignoring every thought Lance tried to pop into his head.

 After the incident, Keith had to let the cat out of the bag and told everyone about the mental link. There was no other way to explain his sudden outburst than the truth. Lance didn’t mind too much that they were finding out, he just wished he could be the one to talk about it. Keith was so bad at explaining things.

“So, like, you guys feel each other’s pain like twins or something?” Hunk asked excitedly, glancing from Keith to Lance.

“Not exactly… It’s like I just know if there is pain… but I don’t feel it feel it, you know?” Keith responded awkwardly, seeming unsure, he turned to Lance.

_Tell them that it was my amazing bond with my lion that started it._ Lance urged with a grin. Keith rolled his eyes.

_I already said our bond with Red was probably the cause, don’t be so obsessed with yourself._

_Obsessed with myself? If anyone’s obsessed with me it’d be you Mr. run-in-swords-blazing just because I got a small ouchie._ Lance retorted with a glare. He noticed Keith became slightly flustered after that, looking embarrassed. It was unlike him.

“Um, Keith, if you could, please enlighten us to what Lance is saying?” Allura asked politely, gazing at the two paladins.

“Oh, he’s just saying how sorry he is for all the trouble he’s causing me.” Keith responded sweetly, flashing a grin at Lance. Lance wanted to keep the frown plastered on his face, but he couldn’t help but smile. Joking Keith was such a rare Keith to see.

“I’m sure this will be a useful asset in our mission.” Shiro murmured thoughtfully, then he turned towards Keith. “If you too can manage to not kill each other first.” Shiro gave Keith a soft smile, which the younger paladin returned. “Remember everyone, bright and early for the mission tomorrow, I want everyone there.” The other paladins nodded and everyone began to get up and wander around. Some time was spent with Hunk eagerly asking Lance questions through Keith, like some sort of fun, new game. Lance didn’t mind so much, but he could tell Keith was starting to get annoyed.

 

_***_

            Keith spent a lot of time pacing in his room that night. He was frustrated with his actions, and didn’t know how to properly express that. Why was Lance like that? Why did the younger boy have to act that way? Why did he have to look at Keith like that? Why did his face have to light up whenever he smiled? Why did his skin always look so soft and smooth and, the only word that could come to mind, kissable? Why did Keith have to stupidly care so much about that blue paladin?

            Keith wasn’t completely oblivious, he knew Lance was attractive, and being gay he could see that better than anyone. But never in a million years would he ever want to…. Keith flushed and covered his face. Emotions were stupid, Lance’s pretty face was stupid, this mental link was stupid. Oh, shit the mental link. Keith realized it too late as the intrusive thoughts returned.

            _What are you so embarrassed about, mullet?_ Keith burned brighter, thankful no one could see.

            _None of your business, Lance._ Keith returned with a sigh as he plopped back onto his bed.

            _Really? Cause it feels like you’re crushing hard and I think all voltron gossip should pass through me at least once._ Keith could practically hear Lance’s accompanying chuckle. Keith stared down at his hands not knowing what to say in return. So, he did what he always did, he lashed out.

            _Go away Lance! I don’t want you in my head anymore!_ Lance didn’t respond. In fact, Keith didn’t even feel what his emotional response was, because Lance was gone. The slightly weighted feeling of a presence in his head had vanished, along with the ocean blue clouds that floated around that weight in Keith’s head. He had blocked him out entirely, Keith realized. That should be a good thing. It was what Keith had asked for after all. But Keith felt empty, and tired. He curled up in his bed and closed his eyes. Nothing floated through his head or tried to bother him. Keith had never felt so alone.


End file.
